


Something Special (Vanderwood x Reader)

by sondepoch



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Completed, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mystic, Oneshot, Reader Is Not Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Reader-Insert, Self Insert, Short, Sweet, Vanderwood - Freeform, Wholesome, mysme, vanderwood x reader, vandy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23368495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sondepoch/pseuds/sondepoch
Summary: You just want them to be safe.But you know, no matter what, that the men in your life are secret agents and that they have to risk their lives with every new mission they go on — so you've settled for simply taking care of them once the job is over.It's a good system. It let's you know that they're going home safe and it gives them an excuse to come and visit you. For the past year, it's been working perfectly.Except that one night, conversations go deeper than usual between you and Vanderwood; and the morning after only brings them further along. And of course, it doesn't help that you have feelings for the brown-haired agent.~Oneshot
Relationships: Vanderwood (Mystic Messenger)/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 119





	Something Special (Vanderwood x Reader)

You didn't want to know.

You never did.

As long as your friends were safe and healthy and _alive_ , that was enough for you. You didn't want to know about all the secrets behind their missions, or who specifically beat them up this bad, or even what they had risked their lives for in the first place. All that mattered was that they were with you, and that you could take care of them.

"Thanks again, (Y/N)," Saeyoung mumbled as you finished fitting his arm into a cast. "Not just for giving us a place to crash and for the medical help, but...thanks for always being there for me. For us."

You smiled at the redhead.

No matter how many times he came knocking at your door, bloodied and exhausted, he always remembered to thank you. Usually, it was just him, or occasionally he brought his attractive handler Vanderwood, but this time, he'd brought back a group of people.

They'd all been hesitant to enter, but the men gradually came to trust you as you treated their wounds and made friendly conversation with them. As soon as you made it clear that you weren't asking any questions about their mission, they'd eased up.

There were four men in total. Saeyoung, Vanderwood, V, and Saeran.

"Hey, stop hogging (Y/N), will you?" Vanderwood snapped at Saeyoung, cringing in pain. When the men had all come into the room together, you hadn't had the chance to observe their wounds individually, but now that you looked at Vanderwood's shoulder up close, it became clear that you should have _started_ with treating him, not saved him for last.

"Oh my god," You murmured, glancing at the sheer amount of blood that had seeped onto his clothes. You thought he'd been wearing a red shirt, but a second glance revealed that it was actually purple, stained with blood.

"Vanderwood, that'll take a while," You shot him a sympathetic look. "And it'll be painful. Really painful. I'll...I'll show Saeyoung, Saeran, and V to their rooms so they can rest up, but you...you're going to need a while. Brace yourself."

Vanderwood gave you a dismissive wave, wincing ever-so-slightly as he moved his arm, and you watched in concern as you walked back toward Saeyoung. You doubted Vanderwood understood how much treating his wound would hurt.

"Saeyoung, do you want to stay in your usual room?" The redhead came straight to your apartment after every mission, whether he was injured or not, so you always had a place ready for him.

"Sure thing. Saeran and I will sleep in the same room, so we'll head there now."

Your eyes widened ever-so-slightly. You were a broke college student, so the guest room you'd set up for Luciel was fairly scant. The bed inside was made for one, not two. And Luciel and Saeran were both grown men. _If they sleep in the same room, one of them will be on the floor_ , you realized.

Recalling the amount of blood that had poured forth as you dressed their wounds earlier, you winced at the very thought. No, nothing but soft mattresses for these two precious boys.

"If you're sharing, why don't you stay in my bedroom? The bed inside should be better for supporting two people." You flashed a smile at Saeyoung, giving him no chance to argue before ushering V into the guest room, double-checking that everyone's bandages had held up before you returned to the livingspace, where only Vanderwood remained.

You got to work immediately, as you had half a hundred times before.

In truth, you'd developed somewhat of a crush on the older man over the many times Saeyoung brought him to your apartment. It was hard _not_ to fall for the stunning brunette. Somehow, his wounds always required him to be half naked for you to properly treat them, and the man's muscles would have put gods to shame.

"Your shoulder is messed up bad, Vandy," You told the man softly, using the playful nickname you'd adopted for him after telling him 'Vanderwood' was too long. "You'll have to take your shirt off."

Used to this, Vanderwood moved to unbutton his shirt, but the slightest motion made him flinch in pain and you were quick to stop him from moving.

"On second thought, how about I do it?" You laughed, trying not to let the situation get awkward as you unbuttoned the dress attire. A small part of you wondered how Vanderwood managed to fight in such formal clothes, but as usual, you thought it best not to ask.

The only reason these men allowed to treat them was because you wouldn't ask questions. And if they didn't let _you_ treat them, who knows what back-alley doctor they might rely on?

"It's worse than I thought," You murmured softly once Vanderwood's shirt was removed.

"Hey. Aren't you supposed to keep those thoughts in your head or something? You know, _not_ scare the patient?" Vanderwood's words were sharp, but they had a teasing tone to them.

"Aw~" You cooed. "Is little Vandy scared?"

"Wha—of course not!" Vanderwood exclaimed, too fast. He couldn't rid the faint blush from spreading across his cheeks.

You chuckled, enjoying this side of the agent. Usually, he was withdrawn and reserved in your presence, but today he seemed strangely relaxed. You couldn't be sure if it was because something had gone well on the mission or if it was because he had finally begun to trust you, but you decided to believe the latter.

"Are you ready, Vanderwood?" You asked, using the man's full name to let him know you were serious.

"Of course," He responded, too quick and too confident.

_I told him to brace himself_.

You poured hydrogen peroxide over the large wound, watching in awe as the area where the skin had been torn turned from red to white with bubbles, fizzing viciously. Vanderwood hissed, grabbing onto the empty can of Ph D. Pepper that Saeyoung had been drinking and crushed it in an instant, tightening his grip in an attempt to distract himself from the pain.

You watched carefully as the bubbles died down, revealing the now clean skin before your eyes picked up on something they hadn't before. "Vanderwood..." You trailed off, utterly horrified.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," You said quickly, immediately walking to the other side of the room to the drawers where you stored supplies for more drastic wounds.

"You can't just say my name like that and walk away," Vanderwood quipped back, though you could hear the concern in his voice. "What did you see? Is it infected? Broken? Tell me."

"Just...close your eyes and keep squeezing that can," You told the man, before walking back to him. You used one hand to hold his body steady while your other grasped the medical tweezers and carefully inserted them in the wound.

You heard a _pop_ as Vanderwood tensed his grip around the soda can, and you pressed the tweezers down to pick up one of the many pieces of shrapnel that were now visible in Vanderwood's wound. Unfortunately, the shrapnel was too thick, and too deeply lodged in the agent's shoulders, for you to get it out with these.

You took a step back, placing the bloodied medical tweezers on a napkin on the table.

Next to you, Vanderwood sighed in relief. "Is it over?"

You didn't know what to tell him.

"Vandy, this is going to hurt." You moved so that you were making full eye-contact with the man, well-aware of the pain you were about to inflict on him. "It'll hurt more than anything I've ever treated you for."

Vanderwood's gaze darkened.

"Here, hold my hand while I work. It...It helps." You offer your nondominant hand to the agent, remembering how Saeyoung had once told you that holding your hand made it easier to distract himself from the pain.

"No, thanks. Did you see what I did to the can?" Vanderwood glanced toward the floor, where he had somehow managed to twist the can into an hourglass shape in the few seconds he'd been clenching it. "I'll break your hand if I hold it."

"I trust you," You murmured, lacing your fingers in his as you picked up a different, thinner pair of medical tweezers.

You gave Vanderwood no time to protest, already inside the opening with your metal aids, moving your head so that the fluorescent light above you could light up the wound and show you _where_ the bits of shrapnel were located.

"Agh—" Vanderwood groaned as the tweezers dug deeper into his skin, getting closer to their target. You tensed as Vanderwood squeezed your hands, well aware that if the man wanted, he could crush your hand in an instant with his strength, but he managed to keep his grip bearable.

You smiled softly, internally praying that Vanderwood's focus on _not_ crushing your hand would help direct his mind away from the pain. You pushed the tweezers down and closed them around a bit of metal embedded in the flesh.

"Agh!" Vanderwood groaned, his grip around your hand growing stronger. But for his sake, you ignored it and kept working. "Stop, (Y/N)!"

You pulled the metal up, noting how it dragged the flesh up with it for a moment before it was free. "Stop! STOP!" You ignored Vanderwood's cries for you to halt, pulling the shrapnel out of his skin completely, lying the thick bit of metal down on the white napkin.

You glanced at Vanderwood with eyes filled with concern. A sweat had broken out on his forehead, and the man was still groaning with the memory of the pain fresh in his mind.

"Is it over?" He asked, eyes broken.

You so badly wanted to tell him yes. To tell him that the worst of it was over. To tell him that he could sleep now, pain-free.

But there were at least seven more pieces of shrapnel still left in that wound.

You handed him a glass of water and a sedative, hoping that it would help with the pain you were about to bring him: a silent warning that your job was not yet finished.

Vanderwood clenched his jaw. "Do what you need to," He told you, trying to maintain his usual facade of stoicness.

You tried to squeeze his hand as a subtle gesture of kindness, but realized that you couldn't move it. _Did he actually break my hand?_ You wondered, deciding not to make any mention of it to Vanderwood. If holding your hand helped him deal with the pain even a little bit, then it was worth whatever repercussions you might have had to deal with in the future.

You dove back into the man's wound with your medical tweezers, pulling out shrapnel after shrapnel, wedging the pieces of metal out of the flesh and lying them on the cold table, ignoring Vanderwood's occasional whimpers. Hearing him in pain sent a sharp _pang_ to your heart, but you couldn't let him leave until you were finished.

It felt like nearly half an hour had gone by before you were complete, with his wound fully dressed and bandages properly wrapped around it to protect the delicate area; but you could tell that the entire time had been agony for Vanderwood.

Ten minutes in, he'd stopped groaning out loud, instead opting to squeeze your hand tighter and clench his jaw so viciously you worried that his teeth might break, but a cold sweat was plastered all over Vanderwood's forehead.

"It's over," You told him, noting with satisfaction the visible relief he projected at the news. "Let's get you on the couch."

"I'm not tired," He said, leaning back in his chair, and you couldn't tell if he was delirious from the sedative or simply being stubborn.

"Vandy," You protested, pouting. He stared at you for a second before turning away with a _hmph,_ which you took to be compliance.

You guided the agent to your sofa, where he'd already spent dozens of nights on in the past, and let him lay down on the pillow. You'd laid out blankets on the furniture earlier in preparation for this, so it was easy for you to turn the couch into a makeshift bed for Vanderwood. "I'll be back," You told the agent, pulling your hand from his grasp before fetching a warm, wet towel.

Vanderwood's eyes were wide open when you returned, his gaze never leaving your face as you dabbed the moisture on his face away, wiping it down. By the time you were done, Vanderwood looked completely refreshed, with his face and upper body no longer bloodied and grimy as they'd been when he first walked through the door.

"How's your hand?" Vanderwood asked.

_Shit._

A small part of you had been hoping that he wouldn't ask that question.

"Uh..." Your voice trailed off, and you tried desperately to come up with some lie to tell him, but underneath his steely gaze you found yourself unable to fib your way through this.

Vanderwood sighed, pulling himself into an upright seating position. "Show me your hand."

You sneakily gave him your dominant hand, to which he _tsk_ ed. "The one I was holding. Come on, I'm not stupid."

Sheepishly, you placed your smaller hand in his, trying to get it to move, to twitch, to do _something_. "You can't move it, can you?" Vanderwood asked softly, with a strange look of regret in his eyes.

Wordlessly, he pulled himself from the couch and led you back to the table where you'd previously treated him, only this time he sat where you'd been. "And so the treated becomes the treater," He said with a smirk, before taking your hand and asking you to make a fist, squeeze his finger, and an assortment of requests which were all surprisingly professional.

You watched with eyes round in amazement as he placed your hand in warm, then cold water to check if the damage was external and you were _shook_ with how medically informed he was.

"My guess is that I squeezed it too hard for too long. It doesn't look like anything is broken, and you can still feel external stimuli, so hopefully it's just numb. We'll have to check in the morning, though, so that....why are you looking at me like that?"

You chuckled at yourself, not even realizing that you'd been staring. "I never knew you were so good at this! Did you study medicine?"

Vanderwood looked away, cheeks pink. "I had to learn. In case something happens on the field and I can't get to someone like you."

You smiled at him, thanking him for the checkup.

"It's the least I could do, after all those times you helped me and Saeyoung." Vanderwood stood up, walking back to the couch. You could tell that despite his tough act, he was exhausted. The pain from you pulling the shrapnel out of his wound had only further tired him out. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you sleeping tonight?"

"In my..." _Bedroom_ , you'd initially planned on saying, before realizing that you'd given your room to Saeran and Saeyoung. And V was in the guest room...and Vanderwood was on the couch...

You sighed, glancing at the wooden dining table. It would be uncomfortable, but it would have to suffice.

"Oh no no," Vanderwood chuckled. "You're not sleeping on the dining table. You might have steady hands, but you're clumsier than a six-year-old on a sugar high. You'll roll off within ten minutes. Take the couch tonight."

You scowled at the man. "What and let you reopen your wound when you try to sleep on a hard surface? No. _You're_ the injured one here, you take the couch."

"I mean, technically you're injured too," Vanderwood murmured with a smirk, gesturing toward your hand.

You scowled.

"I was planning on pulling an all-nighter tonight. I have a...a test tomorrow." You told Vanderwood, pleased that you'd manage to come up with a lie so quickly.

"Oh really? What subject?"

"Biology."

"(Y/N)?"

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow's Sunday."

_Oh._ You bit your lip, suddenly flustered.

"Come on, we can share the couch," Vanderwood told you, already lying down and patting the space right in front of him. It was a fairly thick couch, and there was certainly room for you...but it would be a tight fit. "And that way you can make sure that I don't shift into a position that's bad for my shoulder."

You turned the lights off and awkwardly shuffled to the couch, feeling embarrassed. You recalled how you had daydreamed in the past about similar situations to this happening with Vanderwood, but now that you were actually about to do it, you felt nervous.

"Come on, hurry up," Vanderwood groaned, unable to see you in the darkness. You took your time in sitting down, carefully positioning yourself so that you were as far away from the brunette as possible, but your efforts were proved futile when he wrapped his noninjured arm around your waist and pulled you closer to him.

You could hear your heart pounding, and a small part of you feared that Vanderwood would be able to hear it too, in this deafening silence, but if he did, he made no comment and simply buried his head into the crook of your neck. It wasn't long before he drifted off.

At least you _thought_ he had drifted off when you snuggled deeper into his arms, enjoying the feeling of his muscular grip around you, but he spoke up. 

"Face me"

You flinched, but obeyed the request (coming from Vanderwood it sounded more like a command, really) and turned around. Yet again, you felt your heart begin to beat faster as you gazed at his silhouette in the dark. You could barely make out the details on his face, but you knew he was staring at you.

"Thank you, (Y/N)," He murmured, bringing up his arm to brush a strand of hair out of your face. You blinked at him in surprise. He'd never been one to give you his thanks, always trusting that you knew he was grateful. He brought his hand up to your face, tracing your jawline with his finger.

_He's definitely delirious_ , you thought as you tried not to let the heat rise to your cheeks when Vanderwood brushed your lips with his thumb.

"Don't move your arm," You murmured, your concern for his injury more important than your desire for his touch. "You'll make it worse."

"I wouldn't mind letting you treat my injuries for a few more nights. It's stupid that an injury is the only excuse I have to see you." At that, you were positively certain that he could feel the warmth radiating off your cheeks as he continued to trace your face. He pressed his forehead against yours, pulling your head up to face him.

Even in the darkness, you knew that his lips were barely millimeters away from your own. You could feel his shallow breathing, steady and _calm_ and you so badly wanted to lean forward, close the space between you two, and take control.

"You're an angel for doing what you do," Vanderwood murmured softly, before dropping his hand and fitting it into the crook between your back and the couch, wrapping you tightly in a platonic embrace. He pulled back, moving his head away from its previous position.

You felt the disappointment creep up on you. Was all of that—telling you to face him, pressing his forehead against yours, almost kissing you—was all of that just him _thanking_ you? You frowned as you rested your forehead against his chest, further demoralized by the steady _thump-thump_ of his heart and how quickly he'd fallen asleep.

It felt like hours before you were calm, and more time still to fully relax in the man's arms, but dreamland drew closer and closer until you were lost in it once again and all traces of disappointment were forgotten.

It was peaceful.

Usually when Saeyoung and his co-agents came to you after missions, you would patch them up and spend the night in restless sleep, constantly checking in on them to ensure that their wounds hadn't reopened as you slept.

That night, though, even through your disappointment, the sense of security that you found in Vanderwood's arms left you asleep for hours, rejuvenating you in mind and soul. Before falling asleep, you'd idly thought about what you would cook the boys for breakfast, but you woke to the smell of eggs and bacon already being prepared—and Vanderwood's strong arms still wrapped around you.

"Vandy...?" You asked when your eyes opened, momentarily confused at the situation before last night's memories hit you. As soon as they did, you instantly pulled yourself into an upright position, leaving the man's comforting grasp. "How's your wound? Did the bandages hold up throughout the night? Where's everyone else?"

Vanderwood blinked before he slowly began answering your questions, one by one.

"My shoulder's fine. A little stiff, but that's all. Saeyoung and Saeran are trying to cook breakfast, but neither of them should be left alone in a kitchen so V's with them."

You nodded toward the man, suddenly embarrassed at the fact that you'd spent the night on the same couch.

"Sorry for not waking you earlier." Vanderwood's cheeks were tinted pink as he looked away. "You looked...tired."

You offered the man a smile, before telling him that you'd be right back. You headed straight for your bathroom, shutting the door before squealing. _Vanderwood's bedhead was too adorable_.

You brushed your teeth and combed your hair, all the while thinking about a subtle way you could get his picture without him realizing so you could mess with him in the future, and by the time you were ready, you were fully refreshed.

You'd originally planned on going to the living room to continue chatting with Vanderwood, but a series of crashes from the kitchen prompted you to go there instead. _Oh boy._ You were unsurprised to see Saeyoung on the floor, launched into a long monologue where he berated V for not letting him cook.

"O woe is me, for mine own arts in the culinary has't been doubted! It fills me heart with shame, forsooth I repent and may asketh: where didst it all fall wrong?"

"Shut up, Saeyoung" Saeran blurted, smacking the redhead on the head with a spatula. His eyes darted to you. "(Y/N) is here."

"Oh." Saeyoung flashed you a sheepish grin. "You weren't supposed to see that."

You cocked an amused eyebrow at Saeyoung and moved to help V and Saeran. They'd done a good job of cooking breakfast, so all that was left was carrying the trays to the table. You began walking them over, but Saeyoung stopped you.

"Actually, (Y/N), we made this food for you. We can't stay...We have to get back to the RFA." Saeyoung smiled sadly. "But we made this to thank you!"

You laughed hesitantly. "There are at least six servings here. How am I supposed to eat all this food alone?"

Saeyoung's mouth opened and closed, temporarily at a loss for words. In his silence, you chuckled and began packing the food into four small containers. "Here, take this with you so that you can eat on the road."

"Thanks," Saeyoung murmured. The boys around him chorused the same thing back to you, and you helped them get ready to depart: changing bandages that needed changing, replacing their empty water bottles with refilled ones, sneaking snacks into their jacket pockets.

It was the least you could do.

To see them smile and come back safe to you was all that mattered.

"Bye," You smiled sadly as Saeyoung, Saeran, and V all departed. Vanderwood told them to go on ahead, leaving only the two of you in your apartment.

He didn't say anything, so you took the initiative to ask the question that had been on your mind since you woke up. "Um...do you remember anything from yesterday, Vanderwood?"

"Huh?" The man shot you an irritated look. "N-no. I don't remember jack shit from anything after you gave me that sedative."

_Ah_ , you thought, somewhat sadly. _He really had been delirious, then._

You stared at the ground, feeling somewhat foolish for having mistaken Vanderwood's actions as affection toward you. How _dumb._

"Hey, don't look like that," Vanderwood murmured, not used to seeing you frown. "I didn't mean...it's just..."

The agent sighed, taking a step toward you and tilting your chin upward with his finger, just as he had done yesterday. "You're an angel for doing what you do."

A smile bloomed on your face.

_He remembers_.

The agent pressed his forehead against yours, savoring the moment. From the distance, you could hear Saeyoung calling for his partner to hurry up, and Vanderwood almost pulled away but you weren't going to let the moment slip by this time.

Mustering up all the courage you had, you stood on your toes and pressed your lips against Vanderwood's, holding your breath to see what his response would be.

The amount of relief you felt when he began kissing back was huge, making the moment even more savorable as he wrapped his noninjured arm around your waist to pull you closer.

"Oi, Vanderwo—" Saeyoung stopped when he saw the two of you pressed against each other, nervously laughing. "Sorry, sorry! Continue!"

You heard the redhead's mischievous laughter as he darted down the stairs to Saeran and V.

"That idiot..." Vanderwood muttered, scowling.

You could only laugh.

"You should go," You told him softly, smiling.

Vanderwood turned to you. "I meant it, okay?" His cheeks were pink, but he kept talking. "It's stupid that an injury is the only excuse I have to see you. I'll be back. Without that idiot."

You laughed merrily, your heart blooming with happiness at the very thought. You walked the agent to the door, half-expecting him to throw you a dismissive wave and be on his way like he usually did when he left, but this time he stole another chaste kiss from your lips before pulling away, winking at you.

When Vanderwood finally vanished from your sight, disappearing into an elevator, you weren't left with the usual feeling of emptiness that washed over you when Saeyoung and his company left. In fact, you weren't even left with the typical sense of concern you were used to.

All you could think about was your lips, still tingling from when the two of you had kissed.

And his not-so-subtle promise to return to you in the future, where the two of you could venture out together down the path of something new.

Something romantic.

Something special. 

**Author's Note:**

> Word count: 4.5k
> 
> Notes: Haha I got a lot of comments on my other story for a Vanderwood route so I figured I'd write a oneshot for him :D hope you liked it~
> 
> Comment & Leave Kudos
> 
> I do not own the rights to Mystic Messenger or any of the characters within it.


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